Previously, in chapter 30:Lois, feeling off-balance as she always did after universe-hopping, staggered out of the alley she had been dropped off in, and took a deep breath as she drank in the sights and sounds of Metropolis. *Her* Metropolis. *Her* world. The world that just a short time ago, had looked bleak and beyond redemption. Now, she was holding on to it for dear life!
Her cell phone rang – looking at caller ID, it was Clark calling her from the Planet. *Her* Clark – her dear, sweet husband! "Hi my sweets," Lois exclaimed, hastily answering the call. "Did you miss me?"
"Where have you been? I was calling and calling, and I just kept getting voice mail. I know you said you were getting your hair and nails done – but it's almost time to meet your sister! I was getting worried!"
<Omigod! I look terrible! How is Clark going to buy that I had my hair done today? Yikes!> Lois thought.
"Long story. I'm heading to the apartment right now. Meet me there."
"OK. Remember, I'm just a regular guy these days. No flying, no super-speed. I'll hail a cab and see you in about ½ hour. Love you, honey."
"Love you too, sweets." Chapter Thirty-One: Seven Days to Armageddon Lois pinned up what she could of her now-much-shorter hair in an attempt to disguise from Clark her universe-hopping expedition. She had to make her hair look a *little* different. No good could come of telling him this fantastic story. He would just worry and try to intervene and then neither one of them could enjoy their last days together.
There was someone, though, she could possibly talk to, if there was to be a full moon this week. It would sure be interesting to get her twin's feedback on the "Alpha Earth''. She grabbed the newspaper; sure enough, tomorrow evening, there would be a full moon. Now where had she left that intra-dimensional phone? The last time Clark had used it was when he was planning on going up in space to stop the Nightfall asteroid. Yeah, that had worked out really well. Hopefully he returned it to the same spot they had agreed on – in the compartment wall where he hangs his extra Superman suits. Yes! – there it was.
The more she thought about it, the more Lois realized that she had nothing to lose by being honest with *everyone* now. Therefore, Lucy would know that her husband was a gangster. So what if Mother got upset? No big deal, in the big picture of things!
And, as soon as she got the definitive DNA tests back from Star Labs, she would charge a ticket to San Diego and confront Lena and tell her that she was her birth mom. She and Lenny Thorul would then have a candid conversation as well. She didn't need to keep seeing Maxwell Deter- <maybe when I wake up after all this, I'll be a picture of mental health and won't need a shrink anymore!> and she would report to work on Monday and enjoy her last days as a Daily Planet reporter, with Perry White as her boss. While she had already told off Mark Boyle, she still had some things to say to him as well!
A pit in her stomach made real the possibility that existed that she would open her eyes in a week and not be married to Clark; or that she would be a nurse, instead of a reporter. Both sets of parents would mostly likely survive, which would be great; but she also might be married to Lex Luthor instead of Clark! The expression, "Lois Lane, this is your life," had totally new meaning for her. The tragic part was that she would probably not remember her current life, nor the events leading up to it. But the alternative, if the Wells men were correct that is, would be Armageddon.
Clark entered the apartment, slightly out of breath, about 45 minutes later. "I couldn't get a cab, so I had to jog most of the way, he announced. "Honey," he said with a smirk he just couldn't disguise, "I hope you didn't pay your hairdresser big bucks for that 'do! It looks like they just combed it and put a couple of bobby pins in it! I mean, you always look beautiful, honey, but.."
<Yeah, well that's because that's all that happened…I'm no hairdresser!>
Lois had already prepared a reply to Clark's remark. "Sweets, sometimes women just need to be pampered a bit. Going to the salon is as much for the ambiance as it is for the hair styling."
"Okay…" Clark said, with a look that said he didn't really believe her, but - oh well. "Well, let me get dressed. You must be excited to see Lucy."
"Yes, I really am. And I've decided, Clark. I'm going to get her alone and tell her that her husband is probably a corporate mobster!"
Clark shot Lois a dirty look. "Honey… I thought you were going to give that 'careful consideration!' We don't know for sure that Will is in cahoots with Thorul. For all you know, he could be his innocent front man. Why don't we wait until we can put our investigation together and make sure we have our facts straight? Otherwise, it looks like you're just being mean and spiteful. I know that's not who you really are."
"Well, I know that he's worked with Thorul for several years. I'm going to lead her to water, and let her do the drinking then."
"No offense, honey, but I can see why you've always had difficult relations with your family. Honesty is good, but sometimes you need to temper it with diplomacy."
Lois sighed. <I should have kept my mouth shut. Clark is just *too* nice sometimes. I should have known I would get a lecture from him>
"Yeah, well, I didn't get to be a great reporter by being diplomatic!" she finally muttered under her breath.
"You know my super-hearing is still working, right?" Clark joked, with a big smile on his face. "I don't want to argue with you. Let's try to have fun tonight. Since we finally met and got married, we've had very little fun."
<And what fun we *do* have is probably going to be short-lived! Good thing our telepathy has disappeared for now!>
"That's true, Clark. It's been very intense, hasn't it?"
At six p.m. sharp, Lois and Clark emerged from a Metro Cab and entered the lobby of the Luthor Tower Arms hotel. Heading over to the restaurant, they were informed that the other party was in the bar, while their table was being prepared for them. Lois looked stunning in a v-necked red dress which fell just above the knee, with slits on the sides and matching pumps. Clark had on a black shirt with grey pants. They were a very handsome couple.
Lucy and Will were chatting with the bartender when Lois and Clark joined them. Will was an attractive man in his early forties; about ten years older than Lucy.
"Hey, great to see you both again," Will said, offering his hand to Clark, then kissing Lois on the cheek. "Isn't it great that we're all going to be living in the same great city now?"
Lois rolled her eyes <Yeah, great, for another whole week! Let's celebrate, everyone!>
Clark caught the expression on his wife's face. With a gentle jab to remind her of their previous discussion, Clark shook Will's hand earnestly and said, "I'm very excited about it, and so it Lois. Right, honey?"
Lucy gave Clark a brief peck on the cheek and her sister a hug. "Luce, we need to talk," Lois whispered. In a normal tone of voice she said, "Lucy, let's go to the ladies room for a moment." Lucy, with a perplexed look on her face, got off the bar stool and followed her older sister, leaving the two men alone at the bar.
"So, Will, what is it exactly that you do at Edge Enterprises, anyway?" Clark asked, in an attempt to make small talk. He knew exactly why Lois had whisked Lucy off to the rest room, and was feeling uncomfortable.
"I'm the second in charge of new acquisitions. I was instrumental in giving Leonard Thorul information that led to the purchase of the Daily Planet, in fact," Will bragged. "James Olson was running it into the ground, you know. Oh, sorry, Kent. I forgot you're a friend of his."
Clark felt his blood pressure rising. "That's right, he is. And it's probably better to just drop the subject right now, because quite honestly, the Planet's new employers are not my favorite people right now and I'm in a difficult position since you're married to my sister-in-law. Let's try to talk about something else."
"Look – Clark – I was really excited to move back east and get the chance to get to know – and work with - you and Lois. I know the circumstances are a little strange – but we're family now. Let's try to make this work."
"As long as you understand, Will, that my goal is to help James Olson get to the bottom of his cousin's death as well as help him get ownership of the Daily Planet back. I'm none too fond of either of your bosses – Edge *or* Thorul – and that I'm tolerating you only because of my wife and her relationship with her sister. Do we have an agreement?" Clark asked, looking Church straight in the eye, hoping his heat vision didn't accidentally come back on!
"Oh, your position is quite clear to me," Will sneered. "By the way, 'Superman', how are the 'super'powers lately? I see you're not trapped in the space suit anymore, but rumor has it you're taking a lot of taxicabs these days–"
~~~~~
Back in the ladies' room, Lois waited until she and Lucy were alone to begin her rant.
"Lucy, what do you really know about your husband? Do you know the kind of man he works for?"
"I know he makes lots of money, Lo. He goes to work every day, he wears expensive business suits. That's really all I care to know about his job. He's good to me and I plan to have a family with him," Lucy answered.
"So the fact that he works for the brother of evil incarnate means nothing to you?" Lois continued. "It's all about the nice suits and the money?"
"You make me sound shallow, Lois," Lucy countered. "You know I've had my share of bad relationships. Why can't you just be happy for me? And why is Leonard Thorul the brother of 'evil incarnate'? The only person I've ever heard you talk *that* way about is Lex Luthor!"
"Exactly," Lois agreed.
"Mr. Thorul is Lex's brother? They don't look alike," she said, her voice trailing off. "Who knew that Lex even had a brother?"
"I don't know who else knows for sure, but yes, he is, and that's who your husband is working for. You can either ignore this information or help us bring their operation down so we can restore James as CEO of Olson Technologies. We're pretty sure that Edge Enterprises murdered Timmy Olson. He was their mole, and then they turned on him. They had him create an insidious virus that erased the memory banks of the Daily Planet, and then Lenny Thorul just swooped in and saved the day."
"Huh? So you want me to spy on my own husband? Lois, I gotta say, you have a lot of nerve. You come back after ten years, we all thought you were dead, and now you drop a bombshell on me! How can I go back out there and act normal with Will now?" Lucy's eyes were welling up.
Lois' hard outer shell softened, seeing her sister lose her composure, and she gave her a hug. "I'm sorry, Luce. I didn't want it to be this way, I really didn't. But you know me – I can't watch my sister be all happy knowing that her husband is one of the bad guys. If you want me to drop it now and never bring it up again, tell me. I'm sure Will really loves you – but there is an outside possibility that Thorul had Will seek you out, knowing you were a Lane."
"Why would he care? Did he know you were still alive?"
"I'm not sure, but I think so. There's a lot more stuff going on that I can't share with you yet. We better get back to the bar," Lois said.
"Let me just fix my makeup. I'm going to have to give this a lot of thought, Lo. I really thought I had finally met the right guy."
"I suppose there is an outside chance that you did," Lois admitted. "I don't have the goods on him or anything… just a lot of suspicions. And I'm sorry I've ruined our dinner plans."
"Oh, no. We're still having dinner. We're going to act like everything is normal. I've been looking forward to this night all week, and if nothing else, the four of us are going to have a night to remember," Lucy insisted.
<A night to remember, all right. *If* I can remember..> Lois mused, a wave of sadness suddenly engulfing her.
~~~~~
"Star Labs is working on getting me back to full speed," Clark replied carefully to Will's insinuation that he was no longer 'Super'man. "Bernie Klein assures me I'll be as good as new shortly. In the meantime, as an investigative reporter, I don't need any special powers – just a nose for news and a hunger for the truth," he asserted.
It was at this point in time the Lane women reappeared to save the day.
"The waiter told me that our table is ready," Lucy said, a vision of renewed perkiness. Grabbing her husband's hand, she instructed, "Will, let's go. I'm starving!"
Clark lagged behind Will and Lucy so he could have a few moments alone with Lois. "Did you tell her? He's a real SOB, Lois. I really hope you told her," he said passionately.
Lois blinked in surprise at Clark's declaration. Never had she known her husband to speak badly of someone so quickly. "I told her. Now we need to get through dinner somehow. Let's just try to keep the conversation light – you know, the weather and such."
"I hear a thunderstorm is on its way," Clark growled as he followed Lois into the dining area.
TBC
